At times, 2011 has felt like a parade of natural disasters: Earthquakes and tornadoes and floods, oh my! But wait, there are more coming. Hurricane season has just begun, and the forecasts for 2011 aren't pretty. Before the next one hits, we look back at the nation's 10 costliest hurricanes.

It's hard to fathom that something as mundane as weather could affect employment statistics. But it clearly does. And it also has big impact on how much work actually gets done. And beyond the snows of winter, there's distractions like the Super Bowl that keep worker from their duties.

Oil prices gained Monday morning as expectations of cold weather in the U.S. and Europe raised demand.
U.S. crude for January delivery rose 15 cents to $88.20 a barrel at 7:48 GMT, Reuters reported. ICE Brent for February rose 13 cents to $91.80.

Oil rose to the highest price in more than two years as cold weather in the U.S. and Europe stoked demand.
U.S crude prices for January rose as high as $90.46, the highest since Oct. 2008, Reuters reported.

Severe weather closed airports in Geneva, London and Edinburgh, spreading chaos through Europe%u2019s transportation system.
London Gatwick airport, the second-busiest in the U.K, will be closed until at least tomorrow morning while snow is cleared away, Bloomberg News reported. Geneva airport is shut until at least 2 p.m. local time, while flights were cancelled at Frankfurt thanks to strong tailwind.

Bad weather delayed work on the final feet of the relief well that is intended to permanently fix BP%u2019s (BP) ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.
A tropical depression is heading for the site from a position off the coast of Florida, and it is expected to strengthen and become a tropical storm today, The Associated Press reported.

U.S. authorities ordered vessels working at the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico to evacuate the area on Thursday evening as Tropical Storm Bonnie approached.
The rig drilling a well to intercept BP%u2019s (BP) ruptured Macondo well will also be temporarily moved, Ret. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

An early Easter and a spring thaw helped spur shoppers into stores in March, and retailers now expect to post healthy gains for the month. The International Council of Shopping Centers said for the week ending April 3, sales were up 2.1% over the week before and 4.7% over the same time last year.

Major snow storms that blanketed the country may have helped first-time weekly unemployment insurance claims rise 22,000 on Thursday, but some analysts believe the rise in claims is due to other causes.

Crunch time for ski resorts is much easier this year thanks to the back-to-back winter storms that have pounded the East Coast. In industry lingo, it's called the "Backyard Syndrome," which means that if people see snow around their homes, they are overtaken by a desire to ski or snowboard.

So far, the East Coast has had a bitterly cold winter -- temperatures were below normal throughout between New York City and Atlanta, and the extreme cold is expected to linger through February. The chill has been a boon for some sectors of the economy, even as it drags down others.